Counting down the Top 10 NY sports stories of 2021: No. 4 - Mets' front office and manager shakeup

We're counting down the Top 10 New York sports stories of 2021. Here is No. 4...

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Following a season where the Mets went from first place at the All-Star break to out of contention by the middle of September, wholesale changes were made.

The first domino to fall was the manager. 

While Luis Rojas made some curious in-game moves in 2021, he continued to establish himself as a strong communicator, someone who was accountable, and as a reliable face of the franchise in front of the media.  But the Mets' off-field issues and on-field performance were too much for Rojas to overcome, and his contract was not renewed after the season.

In Rojas' place in 2022 will be Buck Showalter, an elite tactician with decades of experience who has managed in New York before.

As far as the front office goes, that was a much more difficult situation.

After hiring Jared Porter to be GM in December of 2020, he was fired in January after it was revealed that he sent unsolicited, sexually explicit texts to a female reporter while an employee of the Chicago Cubs.

Porter was replaced on an interim basis by Zack Scott, who appeared on track to potentially take over full time before he was arrested on suspicion of DUI during the season and let go after the season.

Following the decision to move on from Scott, the Mets went after Theo Epstein, Billy Beane, and David Stearns (who wasn't allowed to interview) before tabbing Billy Eppler, who started shaking things up soon after his arrival.

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Counting Down the Top 10 NY Sports Stories of 2021

No. 10 -  Rangers firings and hirings

No. 9 - 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks

No. 8 - Jacob deGromination... then injury

No. 7 - Kyrie Irving vaccine drama

No. 6 - Mets trade for, extend Francisco Lindor

No. 5 - Jets hire Robert Saleh, draft Zach Wilson

No. 4 - Mets' front office and manager shakeup